Ditching machine



T. B. WEBB DITGHING MACHINE Filed Sept. 4, 1923 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 FightIN VEN TOR.

ThomaB- Webb Q' mm A TTORNEY T. B. WEBB DITCHING MACHINE Filed Sept. 4,1923 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 IN VEN TOR. T12 0mm B Webb A TTORNEY Patented Dec.30, 1924.

rrnoins a. wuss, or s'rocx'ron', camroma.

DITCHING MACHINE.

Application filed September To all whom at may concern:

Be it known that I, THOMAS B. WEBB, a citizen of the United States,residing at Stockton, county of San Joaquin, State of California, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Ditching Machines; and Ido declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description ofthe same, ref erence being bad. to the accompanying drawings, and to thecharacters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of thisapplication.

This invention relates to improvements in self-propelled ditch-diggingmachines, the principal object being toprovide a driving mechanism forthe propulsion of the machine alon theground, and for operating thedigging structure, so arranged that with a single power plant for bothpurposes, the speed of movement along the ground may be changed relativeto the speed of the digging structure.

This I believe to be a highly im ortant and necessary feature, since anymac ine of this character may be called upon to work in many differentkinds of ound so that with a more or less fixed spee of the diggingstructure, if the traveling speed of the machine is nonadjustable witregard to the digging speed, what would @the correct rate of movement ofthe machine in soft ground would be too fast'when digging in hardground, or if the machine were constructed to travel at an efiicientspeed in hard ground, this speed would be too slow, entailing a waste oftime and power when working in soft ground.

My variable-speed driving mechanism overcomes this defect, inherent inmost machines, and I am enabled to operate the machine to the bestadvantage under all conditions.

These objects I accomplish by means of such structure and relativearrangement of parts as will fully appear by a perusal of the followingspecification and claims.

In the drawings similar characters of reference indicate correspondingparts in the several views:

Fig. 1 is a side outline of a ditching machine showing the preferredtype of mechanism mounted in connection therewith.

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the same.

4, 19st. Serial No. 660,668.

Fig.3 is an enlarged fragmentary view showing an adjustable gear member.

Figs. 4 and 5 are more or less diagrammatic elevations of modified formsof drive mechanisms.

Referring now more particularly to the characters of reference on thedrawings, and especially at this time to Figs. 1, 2 and 3, the numeral 1denotes the main framework of the machine, supported on front wheels 2and wide-faced driving wheels 3 somewhat to the rear.

These driving wheels are in two pairs as shown in Fig. 2, those of eachpair being spaced somewhat apart but connected together and mounted inan auxiliary transverse frame structure 4 outside the main frame 1.

Mounted centrally of the frame 1 and depending therefrom behind thewheels 3 is the diggingstructure 5, of the usual chain and digger-platetype, having upper and lower chain sprockets 5. The forward and upper.end of this digger is adapted to discharge into a horizontal andtransverse conjveyor- 6, mounted on the auxiliary frame 4 to the rear ofthe wheels 3 and extending for equal distances on both sides of thedigger.

Mounted on the frame 1 at the front end thereof is a power plant,preferably a gas engineindicated at 7. The usual clutch indicatedat 8 isinterposed between the engine shaft and the propeller shaft 9. Thisshaft, a certain distance to the rear of the clutch 8, preferably has acoupling 10 interposed therein, and then extends to a bevel-gearconnection 11 with a countershaft 12 mounted on the frame 1 ahead of theconveyor 6, the ends of said shaft being connected to the ends of theupper digger sprocket-shaft 5* by chain drives 13. In this manner, thestrain on the digger shaft is evenly distributed, while its drivingmeans are positioned so as not to be in the way of dirt falling from thedigger into the conveyor.

Since in this type of machine the propeller shaft 9 is below the planeof the shafts 12 and 5", a universal joint 14 is interposed in saidshaft9 a suitable distance rearwardly of the coupling 10.

The drive wheels 3 are driven by means of internal gears 15 mounted inthe adjacent ones of the pairs thereof which are enmeshed with inions 16driven from a ture commonly. employed on motorvehicles, the housing ofwhicli structure is shown at While the shaft17 is here described forconvenience as being one piece, it is not actually so, since a changespeed transmi n sion structure of usual character such as' is used inautomobiles, and'whichis indicated at 19, is interposed therein.'

Splined 0n the shaft ,17 ahead of the transmission is a plurality ofindependent and different sized gears 20,'any one at a time of which isadapted to be en aged with the corresponding one of a num er of pinions21 on the shaft 9.

The gears 20 are to be adjusted by hand, so that at the commencement ofoperations the speed of that portion of the shaft 17 ahead of thetransmission 19 may be fixed relative to the speed of the shaft 9. The

spacing of said gears and pinions on their respective shafts, is suchthat when any pair 'is in mesh, the other movable gears may be shiftedalong the shaft so as to be out of contact with the other pinions.Assuming that each gear 20 has two definitely located positions in whichit may be placed, one in mesh and the other clearof its pinion, a simplemanner to so locate the said gear without much effort is by means of aset screw 22 in the gear hub, adapted to seat in either one or the otherof a pair of definitely located notches 23 in one of the splines 23 ofthe shaft 17. This permits of a quick location of the gear and preventsundesired slippage thereof along the shaft.

It will therefore be seen that the'drive to the digger is direct fromthe en ine, the speed of which would be throttle to give the desireddigger speed. The speed of the auxiliary shaft 17 from which the wheels3 are driven, may be varied to have as many different speeds relative tothat of the shaft 9, with a common engine speed, as there are gears inthe box 19, in addition to the manually adjustable'gears 20. The clutch8 enables the engine to be entirely disconnected from the wheels anddigger, while the coupling 10 in the drive to the latter allows thedigger to be disconnected from. the power while still enabling themachine to travel along the ground.

In the arrangement of the drive mechanism shown in Fig. 4, the propellershaft 9"- drives direct to the rear wheels 3, while the upper shaft 17*,gear-driven from shaft 9, drives direct to the digger structure, withoutthe use of any universal joint in either shaft. The same complement ofclutches,

transmission, auxiliary slidable gears, and

other features are mounted .in connection the engine drive is direct tothe digger, and

indirectly to the wheels. The wheel drive shaft 17". however instead ofbeing geared directly to the propeller shaft 9", 1s geared to'acountersha'ft 24 which has the auxiliary shiftable gears 20thereon,adapted to mesh with the pinions 21 on the shaft 9".

From the foregoin description it will be readily seen that I haveproduced such a device as substantially fulfills the objects of theinvention as set forth herein.

While this specification sets forth in detail the present and preferredconstruction of the device, still in practice such deviations from suchdetail may be resortedto as do not form a departure from the spirit ofthe invention, as defined by the appended claims. Y '2 Y Having thusdescribed my invention what I claim as new and useful and desire tosecure by Letters Patent is:

1. A ditching machine having supporting wheels, a digging element and apower plant, a driving relation between the power plant and the diggingelement, a secondary shaft arranged in driving relation with the primaryshaft and with the supporting wheels, and a change speed transmissiongearing element interposed in the secondary shaft between its drivingconnection with the first shaft and the wheels, whereby the speed atwhichthe wheels are driven relative to the speed .of the digging elementmay be varied at will.

2. A ditching machine having supporting wheels, a, digging element and apower unit,

without disturbing the drive of the secondary shaft, and a selectivechange speed transmission gearing element interposed "in the secondaryshaft between its driving connection with the primary shaft and thewheels whereby, after the drive of the digging element has beendisconnected, the machine maybe driven on its Wheels at differentdesired speeds.

In testimony whereof I aiiix my signature.

THOMAS B. WEBB.

primary shaft connected in direct

